


Green

by Catsintheattic



Series: Rainbow Series [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Male Character, Gen, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Sixth Year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-03-26
Updated: 2007-03-26
Packaged: 2017-11-27 19:50:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/665791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catsintheattic/pseuds/Catsintheattic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Green is the colour of peace as well.</p><p>Set in late April 1996.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Green

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cecilegrey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecilegrey/gifts).



Neville gently touched the green leaves. Over the last three days, he had bedded out the plants, sweating under the unusually hot sun of late April. He loved working outside, with the air fresh around him. When dealing with the delicate plants, his hands were deft, nothing like they had been in Potions. The chopping and slicing and cooking always made him nervous, and he was glad that he had finally been able to drop the subject in his sixth year. He had seen too much of destruction and what it could do to people to enjoy any of its forms. Herbology was different – it was about growing, at least most of the time. Many of the plants didn’t talk back. And even when there were Mandrakes to be harvested, he knew that this was done for the purpose of healing.

He wiped his face with the back of his hand. Not that it mattered too much; after watering them, he’d expertly kneaded the earth around the tender stems to make sure of a firm stand, and he probably had soil all over his face by now. 

Well, his work was almost done. He simply had to clean up his gardening tools, and then he would wash his hands. The prospect of some sips of water also sounded refreshing.

Shaking the earth from his shoes, Neville stepped from the garden bed onto the path. He would go to the small spring, which lay hidden in the back of the garden. Its water was clear and fresh to the palate, and he could clean his hands as well in the rivulet that fed the small pool. 

When he stepped into the little clearing, he could see someone crouching in the grass. This was not a lost first-year student, and judging from the white blond hair that fell loosely over his knees, where the boy had rested his forehead, Neville knew only too well who was sitting there. Draco Malfoy, nephew of the woman who had driven Neville’s parents into insanity and cursed himself painfully and with all her malice. Malfoy’s shoulders shook and he was obviously too busy crying his eyes out to take notice of what was happening around him. Neville felt that he shouldn’t stay and watch a moment too private for anybody to witness.

Carefully he retreated back to the garden path. 

But as always when he got nervous, his body seemed to develop a life of its own. A twig snapped under his foot and the resulting crack echoed in his ears. Malfoy’s head jerked up, and Neville caught sight of his red rimmed eyes and the wet, blotchy skin of his face. Before he found the time to stutter an apology, the boy was on his feet.

“Spying on me, Longbottom?” he sneered. “Thought you could have a nice glimpse of me, seeking me out in the garden?”

Neville took one more step backwards, then decided to stand his ground. Malfoy wasn’t altogether too threatening and besides, he looked like he could use a helping hand. Neville slowly shook his head. 

“Don’t try to fool me. You smell like queer out of every pore of your skin. Hoping to get shagged, were you? Everyone knows that you Gryffindors are natural bottoms.” 

Neville straightened his back. He knew who he was and whom he preferred. First of all, he had stood alongside Harry in the Department of Mysteries. Second, he had a new wand. Third, he realised with sudden amazement, he was no longer afraid.

“You would know,” he answered back. “Have you had a look at yourself lately?” He hadn’t meant it to come out that crossly, but there it was. So he seemed to possess more than one courageous streak in him.

Malfoy advanced on him once more, stopping only inches from Neville’s face.

“Longbottom, if you ever so much as breathe a word to one person, I will make sure that the whole school knows about your dirty little secret.”

Neville sighed, and it reminded him of the dissatisfied little noise his Gran used to make every time he had dropped another cup of her delicate china when he was little. _There’s nothing you can do about me having seen you._

“Forget it, Malfoy. The school,” Neville went on, “as you so rightly pointed out, already knows.”

He would have loved to continue with something along the lines of _I wonder if they know about you snivelling your untold misery to the greens_ , but restrained himself. There was no need to aggravate Malfoy any further. Suddenly, he became very aware of the other boy’s closeness. As well as of the sweat on his own skin. He positively reeked.

“But Malfoy…” Malfoy shot him another glare. “You are right about one thing.” Neville felt laughter rising up in his throat. “I smell. Even if I don’t know how this would relate to any sexual orientation.” He grinned at Malfoy, feeling like an owl soaring in the sky – free from a burden that had rooted in his heart for too many years. “And I’m going to wash it off right now.” He paused, but no retort from Malfoy interrupted the short silence. “You can either join me and wash the t- wash your face, too, or simply leave me alone. Do as you wish.”

Malfoy still said nothing, but continued to glare back at him. Neville could see the other boy trembling from the prolonged tension. He gave one more try to calm the Slytherin down.

“Do as you wish,” Neville repeated. Talking so much in a row was something he wasn’t used to, and it was getting on his nerves. “The _clever_ thing would be to put your hair back into place while nobody else will see you like this.” Malfoy swallowed and eyed him warily. “I won’t tell them.” 

Malfoy turned on his heel and took the trampled path leading further into the clearing. Neville followed him, making sure that the other boy kept his head start. When Neville finally arrived at the spring, Malfoy was already kneeling on the ground, shovelling water onto his face with cupped hands. His skin was still very pale, but the red blotches under his eyes had subsided at least a little bit. Neville approached him, careful not to mess up this newfound tranquillity. He cleared his throat.

“Madam Sprout always keeps some clean towels over there.” He pointed towards a small wooden box at the foot of a tree. “You can take one, if you want to.”

“I’ll manage,” Malfoy responded. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his cloak, and Neville did his best to suppress a smile. So much for the infamous Malfoy dignity.

“Feeling better?” He didn’t know what made him ask. Maybe the fact that Malfoy had seemed more human to him during the last thirty minutes than in all the six years before.

“I’m done.” Malfoy gave him a brief nod. He stalked through the grass and back to the path, leaving Neville standing beside the spring.

Not expecting anything else from Malfoy, Neville knelt down to finally clean himself from sweat and soil. He almost jerked, when Malfoy called his name.

“Longbottom?” Malfoy was standing at the edge of the clearing, facing him.

“Yes, Malfoy?”

“I only wanted to…” Malfoy fidgeted with his hands. “Erm… thanks.” 

Was there a blush on the other boy’s face? He was too far away for Neville to see, but then, what did it matter?

“You’re welcome.”

Malfoy made a stirring gesture with his hand, and quickly stuffed it into the pocket of his cloak. Neville waved back.

“See you at the castle, Malfoy.”

Then he dipped his hands into the water and relished the cool feeling against his skin. A bright smile spread across his face. When he looked up again, he was truly and peacefully alone.

**Author's Note:**

> The original version of this story was written for BlondeCecile (cecilegrey)’s birthday. It then became part of the Rainbow Series. I changed some minor things to clear up the time frame. Many thanks to mikabird and nomango for the beta. Any remaining mistakes are mine.


End file.
